Curried Rotisserie Chicken Salad with Cashews, Craisins, and Scallions

Yield: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 0 (I cheated and used a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken)

Level: I

Ingredients:

• ~2 C 'pulled' chicken ... If using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken: skin removed, only the breast meat
• 3 T light mayo
• 1 T Dijon Mustard (I prefer Grey Poupon)
• 1 T Curry Powder
• 1 T Cumin Powder
• 1/2 T Turmeric Powder
• 1 T Garlic Powder
• 1 T Onion Powder
• 1 Tsp Salt / Pepper each
• 1/4 C chopped scallions
• 1/4 C Dried Cranberries (I prefer Craisins)
• 1/4 C Chopped Cashews

Instructions:

Prepping the chicken
Place the cooled chicken on a large cutting board and remove the legs and wings, which should pull apart easily because it’s so tender. These will not be used for this recipe. Next cut both pieces of breast meat off by running your knife down either side of the bone in the middle of the breasts. As you guide your knife along the bone, pull it outward gently to separate the breast meat from the bone. Visit Gourmet.com for a video demonstration

Roughly shred the white meat by using 2 forks and pulling the meat apart. This takes a little bit of time but is totally worth it. I use small dinner forks and hold them close to the ‘business end’ so they don’t bend. If the chicken is tender enough, you might even use your fingers to separate the meat.

Making the salad
Mix mayo, mustard, and seasoning together in large mixing bowl. Add chicken, cranberries, scallions, and cashews and mix until thoroughly covered. Let sit in fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Chef's Notes:

Usually is good for 3-4 days though never lasts that long ;)

Easy Rotisserie Pulled Chicken Salad with Tarragon, Green Apples & Cashews

Copyright © 2010 SomedayGourmet.com

Yield:  5-6 cups of salad

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes (it’s ok to cheat on this one!)

Difficulty: Level I

Ingredients:

• 1 Pre-Cooked Rotisserie Chicken – any flavor (found in most grocery premade sections)
• 1 Green Apple (I prefer Granny Smith)
• ½ - ¾ Cups Cashew Halves or Pieces
• 2 ½ Cups Duke’s Light Mayonnaise
• 3 Tbsp (heaping) Grey Poupon Mustard
• 2 Tbsp Dried Tarragon
• 2 Tbsp Dried Sage
• 2 Tsp Paprika

Instructions:

Let the chicken cool in the refrigerator.  In the meantime, core and cut the apple into 4ths. Dice 3 of the 4 sections and thinly slice the final section (for a garnish).  Place the diced apples in a large mixing bowl, add the cashews and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, dried herbs and spices.  Set aside.

Place chicken on a large cutting board and remove the legs and wings (should pull apart easily because it’s so tender).  Next cut the both pieces of breast meat off by running your knife down either side of the bone in the middle of the breasts.  As you guide your knife along the bone, pull it outward gently to separate the breast meat from the bone. Visit Gourmet.com for a video demonstration

Roughly shred the white meat by using 2 forks and pulling the meat apart.  This takes a little bit of patience but is totally worth it!  I use small dinner forks and hold them close to the ‘business end’ so they don’t bend.  Place all of the pulled meat into the large mixing bowl with the apples and cashews.

Optional but recommended:  Using your fingers, remove the quality pieces of dark meat from the legs and wings and pull.  This adds a great additional flavor to the dish and is hard to even discern in the finish product.

Finally, add the mayo mixture to the chicken bowl and mix thoroughly with a large spoon.  Place the sliced apple on top and serve.

Chefs Notes:

• This salad tastes best after having a chance to chill for at least an hour.
• This dish will stay good for about 4-5 days in a resealable container in the fridge.
• Don’t be afraid to give the chicken a pretty good workout to break it down and increase the creaminess.
• Add more mayo if the mixture is too dry but be sure to mix well.
• Serve this with croissants for an extra special treat

Creamy BLT Spread

Servings:  ~4 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time:  10 minutes
Difficulty:  Level I

Ingredients

• 1 package of quality bacon
• 2 scallions
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1.5 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup Duke's mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp chopped thyme
• 1 tbsp chopped basil
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1-2 tbsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce
• Baguette slices or crackers
• Parsley for topping

Directions

Preheat the broiler on low with a rack 8" from burner.  Arrange bacon on broiler tray and broil for ~10 minutes, flipping at 5 minutes.  Be sure to remove pieces just as they turn crispy but before they burn.

In the meantime, dice the white portion of the scallions and chop the green section in to rings.  Add to a medium mixing bowl. Next, slice the tomatoes into pieces and gently remove some of the juice and seeds by pressing the side of wide-bladed knife into the slices with your palm.  Add the rest of the ingredients.

Once the bacon is cooked and cooled, chop into small chunks and add to the rest of the ingredients.  Mix thoroughly and chill for an hour before serving.  Top with parsley for a nice presentation.

Chef's Notes

• This recipe works great with low or fat free sour cream and mayonnaise.  The bacon is essential though!
• You can adjust the amount of mayo and sour cream to change the consistency of the dip but don't over do it, their flavor can overpower.
• Consider doubling this recipe.  Trust me you'll need it!

Scallion Infused Pan-Fried Crab Cakes with Lemon Herb Rémoulade

(Copyright 2010 http://www.somedaygourmet.com/)

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Minutes / batch of 4 Cakes
Difficulty: Level 1
Yield: 4 Crab Cakes & 1 Cup of Sauce

Ingredients

Crab Cakes
16oz Cooked Crab Meat (Claw or Lump)
3/4 Cup Plain Breadcrumbs
1 Egg
2 Scallions (white section only)
1 Tbsp Grey Poupon dijon mustard
1 Tsp Worchester Sauce
1 Tbsp Mustard Powder
2 Tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 Tsp Cracked Black Pepper
1/2 Lemon Juiced
2-3 Tbsp Canola Oil (or other high heat oil)
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

Rémoulade3/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1/2 Lemon Juiced & Zest
1 Tbsp Heinz Ketchup
1 Tsp Worchester Sauce
1 Tsp Horseradish Sauce
2 Scallions (green section only)
1 Tbsp Dried Dill
1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat a large (and preferably thick bottomed) frying pan over medium heat with canola oil just covering the bottom of the pan.

Finely chop both scallions, separating the white and green sections.  Place the white section in a large mixing bowl.  Add the mustard, Worchester sauce, lemon juice, mustard powder, Old Bay, black pepper and egg.  Whisk together until mixed and the egg is lightly beat.  Next, dump the crab meat into a small bowl and gently look for shells.

Roll up your sleeves, this next part gets messy.  Add the crab meat and the breadcrumbs into the large mixing bowl and gently fold into the egg mixture until thoroughly mixed and the proper consistency to form into patties.  Divide the mixture into four piles and gently form into balls. Then lightly flatten into large patties on a cutting board with your hand.

Carefully add the butter to the heated oil and allow it to completely melt.  Using a spatula, place the 4 crab cakes into the pan with enough space to not be touching each other.  Once placed, DO NOT MOVE. 

Cook the crab cakes on each side for exactly 4 minutes.  Remove and promptly add to serving dishes.

While the cakes are cooking, place the green section of the diced scallions into a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients for the rémoulade except for the olive oil.  Pulse the blender a couple of times to ensure the scallions begin mixing with the other ingredients and push the mixture down as necessary (with blender off of course).  With the center portion of the lid removed, turn the blender on full and begin slowly drizzling the olive oil into the mixture and blend until emulsified.  Remove mixture and add to serving dishes. 

Sprinkle the sauce with Old Bay.  Garnish with lemon wedges or slices.

Jodi's Pecan Encrusted Dijon Tilapia

(Copyright © 2010 Someday Gourmet)

Inspiration: My Mother-in-Law Jodi

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Level I
Yield: 4 Filets

Ingredients

• 4 Fresh Tilapia Filets
• ½ Cup Light Mayonnaise
• ¼ Cup Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
• 3/4 Cup Finely Chopped Pecans (or 2 Cup Whole + food processor)
• 2 Tsp Fresh Cracked Sea Salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 F. Combine the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard in a small bowl and set aside. Crack your salt into a small bowl that can be used to pinch while seasoning later.

Spray a baking sheet PAM. Wash each filet and pat dry. Place the fish on a cutting board next to each other and sprinkle the entire side with the salt. Using a spatula lightly spread on a generous coating of the mayo/mustard mix then sprinkle half of pecan mixture over the fish evenly. Gently flip each piece of fish and place pecan side down on the baking sheet. Repeat salt, mustard, pecan coating process.

Bake the fish in the center of the oven for 9 - 10 minutes or until fully cooked. Serve immediately or tightly cover with foil to keep warm.

Chef’s Notes

• Serve with Green Beans, Rice Pilaf and Low-Fat Pillsbury Crescent Rolls for a delicious and healthy meal.
• Add a healthy sprinkle of dill to each side of the fish for a fresh twist on the flavor.
• Most types of fish are considered done when they're just opaque throughout. The fish should flake easily so be careful when transferring from the baking tray to your serving dish.
• Recommended Wine Pairing - Barefoot's Sauvignon Blanc